Canada and Cultural Assimilation in the Immigration Process

        

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         In Canada, cultural assimilation is occurring in the immigration process. For many, this is not wanted, nor needed, but because of how the media portrays immigrants and what certain governmental policies do, immigrants are being assimilated into the Canadian society without their consent (Tsabari 2013). For others, this assimilation is proving beneficial and provides the new Canadians the means in order to take advantage of what Canada has to offer (Kay 2012).

As Ayelet Tsabari tells of her story of immigrating to Canada in the article What Kind of Jew Are You Anyway?, one can easily recognize that she is on the negative side of the immigration process. Her article reveals that because of how the media portrays Jews, there is little of her own Jewish culture in Canada. She finds herself lost in a world of Canadian culture in which there is a speck of Jewish culture that she has never experienced before and the reason for this is how the media plays a significant role in Canadian’s views on culture, race, ethnicity, gender, etc. She continues to talk about this, using the example of how in her own country (Jerusalem), in the place where her ‘Arabic Jewish’ ancestors migrated to, little was taught in her schools of that subject, but she learned a great deal about European Jews and their historical migration (Tsabari 2013). This example just helps to explain how much influence the dominant order and media affects every part of the world (Tsabari 2013), and how the education system is crucial for understanding cultures in life. From the immigrant perspective in any case (not just this one example) this would create the process of ‘fitting in’ and feeling at home that much harder, and it is the reason after generations, the once immigrants have lost their culture and have been assimilated into the dominant order, and have become ‘Canadian.’

On the other side, the assimilation of these immigrants into Canadian society is proving to be beneficial, and Jonathan Kay in Assimilating Immigrants: One Tale From the Front Line proves exactly that. In the article he talks about how he went into the ‘front lines’ and experienced what the organizations helping students were like in the education system. What he found was that the people truly utilizing these play groups, day cares, and parenting classes were new Canadians from all over the world. It was these educational groups that brought all of the immigrants together and it helped them (and still does) to not only ‘fit into’ the Canadian culture but to be able to function as well (Kay 2012). He talks about how for many women with controlling, abusive, strict husbands, these groups give them the freedom in order to learn, talk and socialize when in previous circumstances the women would never have been allowed to do so. More importantly these groups make an easier transition into the Canadian culture by learning the language, interacting with ‘Canadians,’ and to be given the opportunities to be successful in the Canadian society (Kay 2012). In one perspective of the immigrant, it is the assimilation into the Canadian culture that brings more rewards and opportunities for the person which will always be seen as positive or negative depending on where you stand in society.

I found these articles interesting because they showed the two different perspectives of immigrants on the assimilation into Canadian culture. I did not disagree with either of the articles because I understood both point of views equally, but I do believe in Canada’s society today, trying to stick to your roots and culture makes life harder as a Canadian immigrant. I think this is wrong, but with the way our government is running our country and how the media portrays people right now, ‘becoming Canadian’ would make life that much easier. I think the organizations and groups Kay mentioned in his article are awesome for smoothing the transition from the immigrant’s home country into the Canadian one, but at the same time they are allowing the immigrants to lose their culture. I disliked the thought that in Tsabari’s article I could relate to the man who was confused with Tsabari’s ‘Arabic Jew’ (Tsabari 2013) background and it is because of how media and society portrays people that a white, Canadian male like myself perceives and feels this way.